Overwatch : Phantom
by RuGaard98
Summary: Widowmaker should've died when she hit that wall, but Angela has made a vow to save all the lives that she can. As she saw with Doomfist, she has to give people a second chance, but this time, she will make sure that Amélie can truly be back, but can she deal with who she has become?
1. Purgatory

NOTE : This is a following to my first story "Overwatch : The Birth of a New Group" This story has a lot to do with what happened in this other story, but takes a new approach to it. I encourage you read this other story before comming back to this one since it will make much more sense.

Credit to the artist for the cover image : atutcha : art/OverWatch-widowmaker-671926826

« _Why did you do this to me…_ »  
A dark mist surrounded her, she could no longer move, stranded on _the_ chair. Hands were touching her, her legs, her tights, her breast, her crotch. Cold metal on her cold skin, inhaling poison and exhaling the dark mist.  
« _What did she have that I couldn't give you?_ »  
Memories flowed back like blood out of an open wound. Slowly, meticulously. Beautiful blue eyes that could enter her deepest dreams, her most intimate times. The times when she was only a child, dark days even she didn't dare coming back to. When she was only one stupid little girl with stupid little dreams about the futur. Something hit her in the back of the neck.  
« _What did he do to you?_ »  
The knife was sharp. She always made sure it was by cutting her own palm with it. She did feel the pain, but it was always numb, a mere inconvenience. The spider has it's fangs, she had her knife. A beautiful blade, especially when it was soiled with blood, that's how she knew that it was coming.  
« _Did he touch you?_ »  
It didn't matter. She had to. She was too beautiful, she was too… alive. It would've happen, she saw it in his face. That night, he didn't touch her like he used to do. Something happened when she closed that door and left them together. She should've hit her harder, cut her more. She should've shoved the staff up her…  
« _Did you like it?_ »  
« Did you like it? Yes? But did you like it like I did? You didn't deserve to like it. I was the one he touched, not you. I was the one who should've liked it, not you. »  
Why did it matter that she liked it? Why would it matter? Why did she bother asking her…  
The first time, she didn't want to, but she was a stupid little girl that didn't know what she wanted. That's what he told her. She did like it, and that night, her heart exploded, blood flowed through her like never before. She felt alive.  
« _Amélie… please… I beg you._ »  
No… you cannot say her name. She's not here, she's never been here. It's not true, I'm not Amélie, I'm…  
« _What on Earth did they do to you, Amélie?_ »  
 _They killed me…_  
They killed her.  
They killed Amélie, they strapped her onto that chair, they did what they wanted with that stupid little girl. Do you want to know what they did?  
« _Am I going to endure what they did to you?_ »  
What they did to her. I'm not Amélie. I'm not her. She's dead and soon you'll be dead too. You'll know what it's like to be cold at night, to feel alive when you hurt someone. You'll be one of us, _but he won't be touching you._  
« _We could operate you… we could turn you back the way you were before…_ »  
No. You can't. You cannot bring back what's already dead. You're just a stupid little girl like I was, with stupid little dreams that won't ever become true, just like Amélie's. Amélie though she could get out, that she could forget about it and start over, but it was only a stupid little dream.  
She felt lifted off the ground. Is this how it was going to end? It couldn't, she needed to kill her. That little whore hadn't suffered enough, she needed to die. Hitting her was not longer something she would do just to make her heart beat faster, to make her feel alive. This time, she was hitting her out of rage, out of sadness, out of jealousy. « _You wanted to touch her like you did to me. I'll be dead before that happens._ »  
She remembered every hit, every stabs. Her rage seemed even stronger than the greatest feeling she had felt before. Hitting her over and over again was like a drug she couldn't control. « _Let my heart explode once more. Let her die from the agony. Let me see the light leave her beautiful… gorgeous blue eyes._ »  
When she got on top of her, when she was about to cut her tongue, she thought about him. What would he think of her? Would he approve of this? « _Isn't that a clear message I'm sending you. I want you. I want you inside of me, not her. Please…_ »  
The sound of the gauntlet charging it's energy brought her back to the reality of the moment. She could finally see her for real, that pathetic little dove that could barely stand up, with a face full of bruises, with her bloody stomach and hands. As the gauntlet hit her, time stopped as she realized what was happening. She was going to die, her skull would fracture against the wall across the room, then that stupid little girl would be saved. Talon's most skilled assassin couldn't even kill that poor little thing. She played with her little fly for too long, now it was going to get away from her.  
« _What did I do to deserve this? What did I do to deserve falling into the pits of hell?_ » She only now realized that she had never thought about it. The gauntlet and the realization that her death was near seemed to have woken something inside of her.  
She felt tears in her eyes as this time, her heart slowed down. Darkness covered her body once more after all that time. There she was, on that damned chair once more, with the devil in front of her. Death walking among men. « _You didn't understand the first time, did you?_ »  
He ripped her clothes off. She begged him not to. Cold metal on her cold skin, inhaling poison and exhaling the dark mist. She was just a stupid little girl with stupid little dream just like all the others. When he'll be done with her, he'll left her to die and find a new one. That's why he wanted to touch the little dove so much, because she was about to die.  
She hit the wall, and the dark mist returned, this time, it made sure she didn't get back up, holding her against the ground, suffocating her. She closed her eyes. « _It's finally over._ »


	2. Guardian Angel

Something took her hand and pulled her out of the pit of darkness she was falling into. She opened her eyes and was blinded by the bright light.  
She wanted to cry, her entire body felt horrible and she could barely move… _but she was alive_.  
Her heart beat so fast in her chest, she thought it would stop any second from now. She took a deep breath and felt the warmth of someone touching her left hand. Clear white hands were holding hers, apparently looking for something within them. When she finally was able to see, she could distinguish a white uniform, pale blond hair and blue eyes that were staring at a monitor next to her. She couldn't believe what she saw. « Doctor Ziegler… »  
She noticed her and backed up, seemingly disturbed to see her awake, but she kept going. « What… Where are we? »  
The doctor didn't answer, instead looking for something on her table. She tried to lift up her head, but a horrible pain in her neck made her cringe and stop with a soft complaint. She felt Angela's arms reaching out to hold her. « Don't move, not now.  
\- What's happening? Where are we?  
\- You are in Numbani's General Hospital, Amélie.  
\- Amélie… »  
That name… was that her? She couldn't make it out. Everything had seemed blend. She tried to look at her hands and, although the bright light was making her eyes water, she could see her own hands, clear, pale and covered in small bruises and cuts. She felt hands onto her cheek gently pulling her to the left, where the doctor looked at her in the eyes. « What are you doing? she asked Angela.  
\- You woke up during an important procedure, Amélie. We'll have to put you back to sleep now.  
\- Wait… no… please. I don't want to go back.  
\- It won't be for too long, do not worry.  
\- Please… I'm scared.  
\- It's all in your mind. You are safe in here.  
\- Please… just a few more minutes. »  
Angela looked at her, her eyes were so beautiful… gentle. She nodded and let her hand run through her hair. That touch felt so good, Amélie closed her eyes and smiled. « Why am I here?  
\- You had a big incident, and we are trying to make you well again.  
\- Am I going to be alright?  
\- Yes you are, Amélie.  
\- Thank you, Doctor Ziegler. »  
She tried to reach out and take her hand, but Angela pulled it back. When Amélie tried to look at it, she noticed three metallic fingers onto it.  
Memories started rushing back. She started panting and her heart started going crazy. She had weird thoughts, memories flowing back so fast it was making her confused. Something in those fingers made her realize something that terrified her… her nightmares were not just in her head. « I'm… I'm… sorry. »  
Angela pulled away her hand and hid it behind the bed. « _I'm so sorry…_ she said, feeling like she was about to faint.  
\- It's alright, Amélie. You don't have to apologize.  
\- What have I done? »  
She started sobbing and a strong pain in her chest made her scream along with it. She broke out in tears as Angela hold her against the bed. « Please, Amélie. You don't have to do this.  
\- I'm sorry… » she kept repeating.  
She felt Angela's hair gently touching her face, with her hands slowly running across her chest until it reached her shoulder. Angela held her against herself until she calmed down. « It's all going to be alright, Amélie, but now I need to put you back to sleep, alright?  
\- I don't deserve this… I should be dead. I should've died when I hit the wall. Why are you helping me?  
\- Do not say that, Amélie. You are delusional. We'll talk after the operation is done, alright?  
\- No! I don't want it…  
\- I won't let you down.  
\- Why… would you help me? I'm a monster. I… I… »  
She sobbed even more, with the pain in her chest becoming even worse. Angela held her tightly and didn't budge. « Amélie, it's alright… I forgive you. You do not have to worry about that. Just… You have to let me finish what I am doing. We'll talk about this later, alright? »  
Amélie tried to calm down, although her eyes were so full of tears she could barely see. She took a deep breath, then another. The pain slowly got away and she nodded gently. She felt something sting her arm and and held her grip on Angela's hands. She wanted to feel her warm skin on hers, it made her feel… secured. Again, her hand ran over her hair, helping her slowly fall back into the darkness of her mind.


	3. The Iris

The hand she was holding became Gerard's.  
They were walking together in a park that she could faintly recognize. « Do you remember this tree? he said as he showed a large willow next to a pond.  
\- What about it? she asked.  
\- Come, let me show you. »  
He gently pulled her towards it holding her hand tightly. Beautiful white roses were blooming around. Amélie didn't want to leave this place, ever. She was back home, near the house she grew in. That she remembered. Gerard took her in his arms and lifted her up. « Do you remember now? »  
She did. It was the park in which he proposed to her, under this same tree. She started tearing up. « I never thought I'd come back here.  
\- Now that you're back, I'll never leave you. That I promise.  
\- You know it wasn't your fault.  
\- I'll never forgive myself even so. I can only try and be a better husband from now on. I hope you understand.  
\- We might as well start right now, she said as she kissed him. »  
They stood under the tree until Gerard gently brought her on the floor with him. He went over her and her heart started to beat faster and faster. « I love you, more than anything in the world, » he said.  
He kissed her again and, this time, Amélie closed her eyes and let the magic flow in her, but it never came. She opened her eyes and saw Gerard staring at her in shock. « Why… »  
He had red marks over his neck and became as white as a corpse as Amélie screamed. His dead body fell onto her as she tried to get away from it with intense sobbing. When she looked down onto her hands, she found purple skin covered in blood. The leaves of the tree fell down, with ashes slowly falling from the sky. « I'm sorry, » she cried. She tried to lift him up. « We'll find a doctor, Gerard. Don't leave me. Not again… »  
She turned the corpse to see his face. His eyes were missing, leaving two empty bloody holes that made her panic and fall back. Spiders started crawling out of them, quickly covering his entire body. « **_This is what you are. You are a cold, lifeless murderer. You did not deserve Gerard. You did not deserve the love you received. You should have died when you hit the wall._** »  
The dark mist returned, surrounded her until she was back into the darkness, the void of her real life. She saw the chair in front of her, with three fingers on the floor next to it. « _**Remember what you are. You are a spider. Miserable, insignificant. Your existence will be forgotten once you'll be crushed. No one will miss you when your innards spill onto the floor. Your cold, disgusting body will wither with time and leave nothing but despair.**_ »  
The voice was horrifying, with strong metallic cackling accompanying it. A strong and deep voice that seemed etherial, as if many were speaking at the same time. It came from everywhere at once, resonating within her skull like bullets.  
She could see through the corners of her eyes strange machines surrounding her. She slowly turned around and what she saw shocked her.  
A dark, elongated figure was gently levitating in front of her. It's shape was twisted and tall, at least twice as tall as her. It's body seemed to be covered with flesh and metal, Omnic and Man had been violently crushed together to form this being. Gears were rolling through bones, pistons were entering orifices, metal plaques were sliding across wet skin. Steam was slowly escaping it and it's body leaked blood and oil alike. But most impressive were it's wings. Immense, beautiful wings that were covered in both metal blades and feathers, with moving parts twitching within them. It had many arms that gently floated around it's body, with what seemed like metal rods and bones folded in unnatural ways. As Amélie looked all the way up, she could see it's face : it was nothing but a large mechanical eye with yellow and blue light surrounding it. The eye had a blue iris and stared at her from all of it's height and might. Around it, dismembered heads, arms, legs and torsos of men and Omnic slowly orbited around the eye. « _**Remember what you are. The rest of the world will not.**_ »  
Was that… an angel?  
« **_Remember your wrong doing. They are just as much a part of you than the rest of your being. Others won't ever forgive you for it, and so will you. Remember the spider that you are. Remember the cold of your blood. Remember the ones you harmed, the ones who suffered, are suffering and will suffer because of your actions. Remember everything. Always. If you forget, the rest of the world shall crush you and spill your blood like you used to spill theirs. Remember, spider._** »  
One of it's many arms reach out on the ground, where she was standing. A part of it extended and piston pushed a long rusted blade that started coming slowly towards her. She tried to back away, but the beauty of it's single eye made her freeze. The blade went up to her chin and slowly lifted her from the ground. She started floating just like all of the other dead beings around it. « _**You cannot escape your destiny. You have killed, tortured and humiliated others and yourself. Death will come for you, just like it already tried to do. It will embrace you, violate you. It will make you suffer what you have done onto others, because you deserve it.**_  
\- I still have time… she tried to say. I can make things better.  
\- _**No, you cannot, spider. You can only fight for your survival, but no one will ever love you. Everyone will despise you and crush you like they crush spiders on the ground.**_  
\- That's not true… That's a lie.  
\- _**That is the truth. Look into yourself and see.**_ »  
She remembered the murder of Mondatta. Tracer's face when she murdered this agent of peace. Then she remembered Angela's face as she was trying to kill her. How can anyone be sorry for her? How could anyone even look at her with a straight face? She was no longer Amélie, because no one would want to kill Amélie like that. She wasn't Widowmaker either, because Widowmaker would've never cared about such things. What was she?  
She started crying once more, her tears left her face and fell onto the angel's body, which started steaming rapidly. « _**Now you can see what you have become. Remember it.**_  
\- I will… » she answered, defeated.  
Her body fell down and she hit the ground. The angel had disappeared, leaving her into the hospital bed. The room was dark and the silence was broken by an occasional beep from the machine right next to her that seemed to be listening to her heartbeat. She had difficulties standing, but with the help of the bed, she slowly lifted herself until she could sit straight up. She had bandages over her head and over her abdomen. In the darkness, she could distinguish a large mirror in front of her along with many machines that seemed… important. How many of them were keeping her alive right now? What if someone were so just turn them off, would she just fall down and die? She only knew that she had many wires stuck to her and plugged in her skin. She couldn't go back to sleep, she wasn't tired anyways.  
She stood in the bed until slowly the light turned back on like a sunrise, helping her adapt to the light better than last time. The entire room was white, just like most hospital rooms.  
It took a bit more time before she could finally hear footsteps coming her way. The door to her left opened and the silhouette of doctor Ziegler entered to room. She had a plate that had a peculiar smell that suddenly opened Amélie's appetite after so long. Angela noticed her sitting in the bed and smiled at her, although her eyes still clearly showed she was uneasy. « I'd figure you'd be awake by now. »  
She got in and brought a special table that went over the bed. The plate had a breakfast like Amélie didn't had in years, with scrambled eggs, potatoes and sausage. « Normally, the hospital makes special food for it's patient, but I'd figure you'd prefer something a bit more… tasty to say the least. »  
Angela cut her food in tiny bits as Amélie stared at her trying figure out her emotions, but all she could see was the unease in her eyes. Her eyes that looked so beautiful. « Am I… safe? »  
The doctor looked at her and lifted her eyebrows. « Well, the procedure was rather complicated, but you should be alright and recovered by now.  
\- How long has it been?  
\- Over three weeks, Amélie.  
\- Three weeks?  
\- Yes. You had a lot of injuries to treat, but with Numbani's General Hospital, you had the best hope for survival. I looked for a room where I could safely treat you and that's what I've been doing for the past weeks.  
\- So… is it over?  
\- What do you mean?  
\- Am I… going to jail?  
\- What? Why?  
\- I did horrible things… I… I… I should be punished for them. »  
Angela sighted and helped her take her first bite. « It's more complicated than that.  
\- I tried to kill you…  
\- You were lobotomized, Amélie?  
\- What? What does that mean?  
\- They opened your brain and removed parts of it. That why you were acting like that.  
\- What?  
\- To make it simple, I « fixed » you by putting implants into your brain. You'll start working normally from now on.  
\- How so?  
\- You'll be able to feel empathy again. I had to put implants for the hormones in your brain that helped you stay sain. I also made your heart beat normally again and put your temperature back to a human being's temperature.  
\- I… just… Thank you.  
\- You don't have to thank me. I'm just doing my job.  
\- No… you don't understand. I made horrible things and yet you still try and save me. I should already be dead for that.  
\- Again, you weren't yourself.  
\- But it was still me. »  
Angela put down the fork she had and took her hands instead, looking at her in the eyes. Amélie felt her heart speed up. « I made a sacred vow when I became a doctor, Amélie. I chose to save all lives no matter the cost, to never seek revenge. You are just as much of a victim than I am in this situation. The ones that are at fault are those who kidnapped you and did… whatever they did to you. »  
She could still feel the cold of the metal fingers, a grim reminder of what she tried to do to her. She couldn't prevent herself from shedding some tears. Her hands were soft, she would've wanted to hold them for hours. As she looked back at her, she notice how much her face looked like the one of an… « I dreamt I saw an angel.  
\- You did?  
\- Yes. It was terrifying.  
\- What did it say?  
\- Horrible things. It kept repeating I was nothing, that I would die and everyone would forget about me. It told me I deserve all the evil that I endured.  
\- Amélie… please. »  
She put a hand on her cheek, which made her shiver. « It was just a nightmare. You were delusional when I operated your brain. You even woke up in the middle of the procedure. I can't imagine the kind of things that you must've dreamt about during that time.  
\- I saw Gerard… back when Overwatch first found me back.  
\- I'm sorry.  
\- I didn't want to kill him. It just… happened. I saw terrible things that night too, I remember.  
\- You'll have a lot of things to remember. Your brain is still recovering from the surgery. Soon, you'll start remembering more information, some of them will probably be your older childhood memories.  
\- I'm not sure I want to see this.  
\- It's a part of you, Amélie. You have to accept it.  
\- I don't know who I am anymore, Angela.  
\- You are Amélie.  
\- I'm not… I changed. I used to be a normal girl that just wanted to dance and find a lover but now… I'm a murderer. »  
Angela looked down and showed her her hand. « I used to have all of my fingers, but now, I have changed a lot, even emotionally. But I'm still Angela Ziegler, just like you are still Amélie Lacroix.  
\- I shouldn't keep his family name. I should change my name back to Amélie Guillard.  
\- You are still his widow. You should keep his name in his memory. »  
Amélie closed her eyes and took a deep breath. « I don't know what to do anymore.  
\- You're still alive, you have many things to do. For now, just stick to recovering. Once you'll be able to leave your bed, we'll have a lot more to talk about, alright?  
\- Thank you, Angela. »  
She was about to answer like she did before, but decided to nod instead. For a few seconds, Amélie saw a spark in her eyes, it made her smile. « I still have a lot more patients to see. I'm the head of the hospital, now. I'll see you a bit later, alright? »  
She nodded and Angela got up. Amélie tried to grab her hand once more, but she quickly retracted them onto herself and left, leaving her alone and with a strange feeling in her stomach, like butterflies.


	4. The Offer

The outside world was terrifying.  
She hadn't been out in so long. The sound of cars and everyone talking on the street, the sounds of planes in the sky, the wind blowing through her hair, the sun on her skin that was so pale she started looking like a corpse.  
Numbani looked different now that she could think straight. Omnics were still scaring her. After what she did to Mondatta, she wouldn't be surprised that people would've heard about her, so much that she feared getting stoned to death in the streets for it. Instead, no one paid attention to her, which was just fine for her.  
She had no idea where to go. The only thing she could do was follow Angela in the unknown. She felt just as lost as in her dreams. In fact, this whole place seemed like a dream, at least it wasn't a nightmare like she was usually getting.  
They got into a building further down the streets and Angela showed her a room. « This is where you'll live for now. Is it alright?  
\- It is. Thank you, doctor.  
\- No need to call me doctor like that outside the hospital. When you'll be confortable, come into the living room, alright? »  
Amélie nodded and was left alone in the room. It was simple, small, dark. There wasn't much to go off of aside from a bed and a desk which had a computer on it. What else could she have? She had no property… no clothes, no decoration, no tools. Except maybe for her sniper riffle which was somewhere back at Talon's headquarter, but she highly doubted she would ever see it again. She didn't want to anyways. Seeing that weapon would've brought back too many bad memories.  
She sat on the bed, seemingly confused as to what to do. She hadn't used computers for real in years, she didn't knew much about the outside world. She didn't even know who she was still.  
« _What's the point of saving myself if there is nothing for me to live for?_ »  
The building wasn't much, a few room centred around a long corridor that lead to a large living room. The lights were all faded, giving the place a dark and soothing tone that made Amélie a bit more secured.  
She was surprised to see how encumbered the living room was, with computer screens all over the place and couches full of clothes and sheets. On one of them, a familiar shape had fallen asleep in what seemed like an uncomfortable position. Amélie recognized the cybernetic enhancement on her head, it was Sombra.  
She heard a door open and, with it, Angela invited her to follow her. When she got it, she missed a heartbeat.  
« I figure you recognize him? » Angela said by reading the expression on her face.  
Doomfist was sitting at a table covered with all sorts of documents. Amélie nodded and Angela went all the way around the table to sit next to him. They both traded a look and Doomfist sighted. « I think it is best for us to start by apologizing for your injuries.  
\- I had to be stopped, » she said as an answer, holding her hands tightly together.  
They both acknowledge in silence and offered her a seat. « Amélie, there is a reason we are bringing you here, » Angela started.  
She took some time to let her process the information. « There are many dangers surrounding us and we need as much help as we can get. We hope you understand.  
\- What do you mean?  
\- Talon is looking for us. All of us. »  
Amélie nodded. The last thing she wanted to hear about was her kidnappers and her tormentors. « They want me because I escaped them, they want Doomfist and Sombra because they betrayed them and they want you because you're one of their most valuable agents. »  
Amélie didn't answer, waiting for the rest of her speech. « We need to work together if we want to survive.  
\- What do you want me to do? I'm useless now…  
\- You aren't. You still have a lot of skills that could be useful to us. »  
She looked at Angela, then at Doomfist. Their expression seemed insisting. She shook her head and her voice started sounding emotional. « I won't kill again. I'm not Widowmaker. »  
Doomfist answered before Angela could. « We are all in the same trouble, Amélie. If things come to a boiling point, we will have to defend ourselves.  
\- I'm not going to kill on command again. I'm not an assassin.  
\- If we fall, Talon will look for you too. They are going to find you and turn you back.  
\- I'll die before that happens.  
\- We live in dangerous times, Amélie. Signs are pointing towards a second Omnic crisis, with hostilities starting all around the world's poorest countries. The tension in Numbani is increasing and the government isn't dealing with it in an optimal way. We need to act quickly.  
\- Sometimes, Angela added, necessary evil needs to exist if we want to live in a better world. »  
Amélie got up her seat. « I'm not a murderer anymore. I've done too much evil, and if I ever take orders to kill once more, I'll loose myself. »  
She tried to keep a straight face, but she couldn't prevent herself from crying. Angela got up and went all the way around the table to take her hands. « I think it's best we give you some time to think about it. What do you say? »  
Amélie nodded gently and Doomfist sighted. « We do not have much time, Angela, you know that.  
\- We have the time we need. We can give her the night at least.  
\- We have a meeting with Numbani's council tomorrow. If she hasn't decided by then, we'll have to improvise a new plan.  
\- She just got back from the hospital, give her a break. »  
Angela gently pushed Amélie out of the room and closed the door behind her. She stood in the living room not knowing what to think about this. They wanted to use her like a weapon again. Was that the only thing of value she had left? She just couldn't resolve herself about that.  
She sat on one of the couch, wiping the tears off her cheeks. « _Remember what you are. The rest of the world will not._ » those were the words the angel told her. She was a weapon. She was an assassin. This is what people saw when they looked at her. She thought that maybe Angela could see something else, but she was wrong. The angel was right, she had to remember who she truly was.  
She heard loud voices coming through the door, as if Doomfist and Angela had an argument. « They always do that. »  
Amélie turned around and saw Sombra half asleep on the couch next to her. « How did they end up working together like that?  
\- Akande is really convincing when he talks.  
\- Are you sure they'll be alright?  
\- They have lots of arguments like an old couple, but they sure do work together quite well.  
\- Really?  
\- They've made a bunch of breakthroughs in the city. Angela is head of the healthcare center and Doomfist is trying to recover his image and finds agents to work for them. They even had some exchanges with Overwatch.  
\- It's weird to see them together.  
\- You'll get used to it. »  
Amélie looked around the room trying to find something to stare at instead of Sombra. « By the way, nice to see you back, she said even though Amélie couldn't tell if she was being sarcastic or not.  
\- I don't really feel like I deserve to be back.  
\- Because you're telling them to fuck off?  
\- I didn't tell them that!  
\- That's pretty much what you were doing. They need your sniper skills and you shut them down.  
\- I just… Angela saved me and spent so much time trying to make me better again and now here I am denying her the help she needs. I feel like an ungrateful brat right now.  
\- It's called having a personality.  
\- I barely have one.  
\- Someone with no personality would've accepted blindly. »  
Amélie sighted. « What do you think I should do?  
\- Does it look like I know?  
\- I'm serious, Sombra. I'm lost… I don't know what to do.  
\- I'd say that they know more about the situation than you.  
\- So I should just kill those they order me to?  
\- You know, Angela is still a gentle woman. She's become a bit more hard on some stuff, but she is still really serious about her whole « peace and love » idea. If she ask you to kill someone, that guy was a real pain in the ass to begin with.  
\- I just… don't know.  
\- Talk to her. She's really nice with everyone. I'm sure she'll be able to tell you what you want. I wouldn't go for Akande though. He's really direct and serious about everything.  
\- I noticed that.  
\- But he's still a good guy under that big fist and his warrior face. »  
Amélie sighted. She decided it was best to listen to her and go talk to Angela when she'll have the time. She truly was the only one that seemed to keep her on her feet right now. « Now let me sleep. I'm not supposed to wake up until like 8 or 9.  
\- Why are you sleeping during the day?  
\- Isn't it obvious? I work at night, like you used to do.  
\- I did?  
\- Yeah, back at Talon's headquarter. »  
Amélie did remember the long nights spent on rooftops, looking at the moon and the stars trying to think of the immensity of the world. These nights were usually interrupted by Gabriel who'd escort her in his chamber.  
When she looked back to Sombra to see if she had anything to add, she had already fallen asleep.


	5. Trust

She spent way too much time on her own bed looking at the walls, wondering when would be the best time to go and seek Angela. She hadn't heard much more shouting coming from the other rooms, they probably settled down on something.  
She found the bathroom and could take a warm shower. Her hair hadn't been washed in a while and the feeling of water flowing through it fell like a soft caress. A reassuring feeling, but she would've preferred something more organic, more physical.  
When she got out of it, she was grateful to see someone had let some clean clothes for her. Seing the size and the style of what she got, she could see it must've come from Sombra's garderobe.  
As she walked back to her room, she passed through the living room and could hear voices behind the door where Angela and Doomfist brought her. She got a bit closer and tried to listen. « _Do you think we could rely on her?_  
 _\- I don't think we'll be able to find her soon enough, but I do know she's alive somewhere. Convincing her, that's a whole other story._  
 _\- And you say she's nearly as good as her._  
 _\- Now that I've put Amélie back to normal, I'd say she'll be able to outmatch her even, she was renowned as one of the best in the world._  
 _\- And she wouldn't be afraid to work for us?_  
 _\- Again, convincing her would be a hard one since she is very close to Overwatch. She was one of those who started the group and her daughter is still highly related to it still. But she's not afraid to fight. She used my own technology against my will to turn in into a weapon._  
 _\- That is possible?_  
 _\- It is. Nano-technology can be used for a lot of things._  
 _\- Do you think… it would be useful to us?_  
 _\- What? No! I objected to her experiment and I won't change my mind on that!_  
 _\- You said it yourself, necessary evil needs to exist if we want to live in a better world. We talked about this._  
 _\- I know we did, but this technology… it's my greatest breakthrough in medical research. I cannot let it be turned into a weapon. No matter how powerful it could truly be. It is a symbol that we shouldn't turn around._ »  
Amélie decided it was best to let them at their own discutions. Angela was obviously not free to talk to. She went back to her room, but something caught her attention on the way there, a door was slightly open and she looked into the room. It was just as small as hers, but it was full of life. The computer showed holograms of different bodies with injuries on them, the walls were full of journal pages and posters of Overwatch, the bed was well made and ordered.  
In the corner of her eye, she noticed a shape that caught her attention : the Caduceus staff. She got in and examined it : it had been fully repaired and the tip seemed to have been reinforced with thicker glass. She still remembered how it felt to swing it at Angela, the weight of each hit and the strength and dominance it brought to wield it felt so good that it had been imprinted in her memory since then.  
She realized what she was thinking about and cringed at the idea. She tried to empty her mind of such horrible thoughts. She didn't like when her mind started remembering dark things like that.  
It was a beautiful tool, well polished and simple in shape, but small inscriptions on it made it interesting to look at. Angela had done a great job while crafting it.  
She sat on the desk's chair and stared at the staff, thinking of what it looked it when she used it on the battlefield, watching the skies like an angel and it's staff of justice. Back in those days, she would just stay in her own home, Château Guillard, with her parents. It was only later that she joined Gérard in his operations against Talon. Although she hadn't felt much of the terror that the war had caused around her, she did hear about it a lot and saw a lot of it in the news.  
« What are you doing here? »  
Amélie quickly turned around, holding the staff tightly onto her. Angela was peeking through the doorstep looking at her with strange eyes. « I just… I wanted to talk to you. »  
Angela sighted and got into the room looking oddly deranged. Amélie noticed that she was staring at the staff. « Well, here I am. What do you want to talk about? »  
Amélie got up and walked up to her, but she instead went past her, walking up to the monitor to look at the holograms on her computer, she seemed uncomfortable about something Amélie couldn't figure out. « It's about what you and Doomfist were asking me. »  
Angela stopped her inspection and turned around to look at her. She kept giving a quick glance at the staff every few seconds. « I know it's hard for you to make a choice.  
\- I want to help you, she answered. You saved my life, that's the least that I could do. »  
Angela sat on the chair and kept listening to her. « It's just… that I don't know if I'll be able to pull a trigger onto someone again. I fear that I may just freeze. »  
She could see her nod sightly. « I can understand. I'd never be able to do so myself to be honest.  
\- I know that I used to do those things easily, but I'm not that person anymore.  
\- Of course you aren't. I didn't turn you back so that you could serve us, I wanted to give you a second chance.  
\- That's why I want to help. You saved me when I needed to be saved, you gave me that second chance and I feel like I'm waisting it away.  
\- We all have to make hard decisions. Do not worry about your answer, I know that once you make it, you will keep your word. We cannot push you to do something you cannot do. Even Akande cannot force you to take a weapon again.  
\- Thank you. »  
The room became silent, Amélie didn't know what to say, but she couldn't stop noticing her eyes twitching away, looking at the staff. She walked up to her to give it back, but Angela tried to stand back in her chair. Amélie stopped, something was wrong… Angela seemed panicked. « Are you alright? »  
She was shaking, but her face was still. She was trying to hide something. It was only then that Amélie realized what was going on. The last time they were in the same position, she beat her up and tried to murder her with the Caduceus staff. It was troubling her to see it in her hands again.  
She backed away in shock, heartbroken at the realization… Angela was still afraid of her.  
They both stood in silence, with Angela sitting at the desk and Amélie standing up in front of her, looking down at her. She sighted and shook her head. « I'm sorry… I didn't mean to.  
\- Do not say that. It's not your fault.  
\- I didn't realize… I saw the staff and I wanted to look at it. I didn't know you were still…  
\- It's not that. It's just… there are things that take longer to get used to. »  
Amélie looked down on the staff : keeping it was not going to make things easier. As long as she was holding it, she was in control. As long as she kept it, she could do anything… She thought about how easy it would be to hit her again, just like that. Finish what she started while no one was watching. She remembered how good it felt to hit her last time…  
« _This is what you are. You are a cold, lifeless murderer._ »  
Her hands started to shake as she realized what she was thinking about. She shook her head once more and dropped the staff on the ground. She felt tears on her cheek. She could still hear the angel whispering in her head. « _Remember your wrong doing. They are just as much a part of you than the rest of your being. Others won't ever forgive you for it, and so will you._ »  
« I'm sorry. I cannot even trust myself, I can't imagine what it's like from your side of things… »  
She sat on the bed and wiped away the tears in her eyes. « No… I'm sorry. » Angela said.  
She got up and sighted, her voice was trembling. « I cannot let you hate yourself like that. I cannot just let you blame yourself for everything again. I'm not perfect, Amélie. I have to change just as much as you. I have to accept this new reality. »  
She looked angry, but not at her. Instead, she looked like she was fighting something within her. She went to the door and closed it, leaving them completely alone. Amélie could hear her breathe faster as she turned around and stared at her.  
They didn't say anything, but their eyes met and time froze for a moment. Their bodies and their minds had suffered because of one another for too long, something had to be done. Amélie already knew what they were both trying to tell one another. She saw in her eyes something that made her heart beat much faster. A subtle, nearly indistinguishable nod from Angela was all she needed to understand.  
Amélie got up and walked up to her slowly, keeping the eye contact that was channeling their energy. She felt butterflies in her stomach once more. Her eyes were so beautiful… her face… she smelled so good. Everything about her seemed so perfect.  
She put her arms around her waist and gently brought her next to the bed. She felt so fragile, trembling like a newborn, light as a feather. Her eyes were saying everything : they were both testing their trust of one another. Her forehead met hers and she closed her eyes. No more communication, only the touch of her skin on hers, a soft and confortable feeling that made her heart go even faster. She could've stayed like that for hours. No one had showed her affection in so long, she had forgotten about the feeling.  
Angela fell onto the bed, bringing her along. This time, she felt her arms wrap around her own body. She could feel both of them breathe heavily. It was her way of telling her to keep going.  
She got on top of her and this time, they both realized what it meant. The last time they were in this exact position, they both nearly died and she hated her with so much passion that she thought her heart was going to explode from it. Now, their hearts were beating in unisson, and the passion was coming from both sides.  
She kissed her.  
Electricity ran through her, with her entire body shaking from the excitement. She had never felt so good in her life. « _Is that it? Is that what it is like to truly be alive?_ »  
For the first time in so long, she forgot about Widowmaker, about the angel, about Gabriel. She couldn't care less about them, as long as she was with Angela.  
They stayed together during the entire night, playing with one another, finally making the other feel better instead of feeling worse. At the end, Amélie fell asleep listening to Angela's reassuring heartbeat.


	6. The Waves

She woke up first, still cuddled with Angela. Her body was warm and rested while her mind was going in all sorts of directions. Even though the room was dark, she could still very rather well. She had a strange feeling as if she was doing something wrong, but she couldn't tell what it was.  
She held onto Angela, trying to get that feeling away. « _Why do you feel bad? She let you do it. She trusted you. She's forgiven you._ »  
« _Remember your wrong doing. They are just as much a part of you than the rest of your being. Others won't ever forgive you for it, and so will you._ »  
The angel was wrong… was it? Angela had forgiven her and, during that night, she hoped it would stay the same. « _But what is one soul against the million that will suffer because of me?_ » She had done so much wrong, who was she to try and forget about it in one night?  
She sat on the bed, she couldn't stop thinking about it now. What was she going to do now that she was truly back into the world? Could she even try and have a normal life? Her best hope was to work with Angela and Doomfist, but what if she just couldn't use a sniper riffle anymore? Maybe she could run away, change her name and start over. Maybe she could try and find a small dance troop and start a new life. She didn't even know if any members of her family were still alive, or any relatives she could have.  
She felt a subtle move in the bed, Angela was reaching out to her in her sleep. She couldn't prevent herself from easing down into the bed again and letting her grab her. Her place was here, with Angela. She was the only one that had faith in her, the only one that could help her if things were to go wrong again. As she was looking at her sleeping, she couldn't stop thinking about all the wrong she had to endure, all the things even she herself had done to her. She had to protect her, be on her side when she needed someone, be a shoulder for her to rest and cry, someone she could cuddle with during cold nights, to feel safer.  
She felt like she was back with Gérard during their first times together. She always wanted to protect him just as much and would enjoy watching him sleep knowing she was there for him. Now, it was Angela and, although what they did might have just been for one night, she still had the urge to protect her as if they were really together.  
A strident ringing got her out of that feeling, with Angela mumbling words trying to reach out for her phone. She set off the alarm and sat on the bed with a yawn. It took her a few second to notice Amélie behind her. « Sorry about that. » she said while still half asleep.  
She didn't answer, stuck in her own thoughts. Angela turned around and tried to look at her, but she didn't seem to see her as well in the dark. « Are you alright? »  
She nodded without looking at her, wondering if she should ask her what she thinking about. « Does it have to do with what we did? Angela asked while reaching out to her.  
\- No, it's not… well actually it is, but not in a bad way.  
\- What do you mean? »  
Amélie turned around and looked at her. « Do you… do you forgive me? »  
Angela sighted. « Of course I do, Amélie. I've told you about this already.  
\- I just… I was doubting myself.  
\- For what?  
\- It's just… the angel told me no one would ever forgive me. »  
Angela took her hand. « Amélie… that was just a nightmare you had. That angel isn't real. Don't let it go over your head.  
\- I'm sorry, I just can't stop thinking about it. »  
Angela put her arms around her and brought her closer. « You don't have to do this to yourself, you know that.  
\- It's just that… How can I have a normal life knowing all the things I did? What if I meet Tracer? She was there when I assassinated Mondatta, she'll recognize me for sure. What about Ana? I heard you talking about her. If she finds me, she'll kill me for sure.  
\- People are not so straight forward. Let me talk to them, I'm sure they'll forgive you if they know you are back to normal.  
\- No… I don't want you to always talk for me. Not that I don't want you with me… I just think that if I had to apologize, I should be the one doing it.  
\- I understand, but you know that those things will take a long time to take effect. People won't be ready to forget everything that you could've done in a day.  
\- Isn't that what you did?  
\- No, Amélie. I've been operating and treating you for a month already. I've had time to know you aren't the same. You have to give others that time too.  
\- But how do I show the rest of the world that I wan't to be forgiven?  
\- Just… let me help you on that. You cannot do it by yourself, it's too dangerous.  
\- And then what? What could I do with my life?  
\- You can work with me and Akande. I told you we need people with your kind of skills.  
\- You know I don't want to kill anymore people.  
\- You won't have to. I'm looking for a solution to that. I've already sent blueprints and plans to my friend in Sweden.  
\- You did?  
\- Yes. I really want you to stay with us, and we are ready to change our ways to keep you.  
\- I just… Thank you. »  
She felt Angela pulling her towards her and her face rubbed onto hers. « Don't be so hard on yourself, Amélie. You've only been out for a day, things have to settle down a bit before you can make jugements like that, alright?  
\- I understand.  
\- We'll talk more about this when I get back, alright? »  
Amélie nodded and Angela got up the bed, dressed herself back and opened the door. « You have to leave already?  
\- Well, I have to get prepared.  
\- But the sun isn't even out.  
\- I'm the head of the hospital, I have to be there early. »  
Although she still looked tired, she no longer looked uneasy like she had been for the past few days. She nodded and, in a few seconds, Angela zipped out of the room and onto the bathroom. Amélie took more time to wake herself, staying in the warmth of the sheets and the bed. It smelled like her.  
When she finally got out of the room, she went to the living room. She could hear the shower in the bathroom next to them and noticed Sombra rolling from one screen to the other. A few of them were showing camera views of streets while some other showed the insides of building. On the rest, codes and graph were quickly changing across the room, with a global map showing glowing dots. « What's with all of that? »  
Sombra didn't turn around, typing rapidly on a screen. « What does it look like?  
\- I don't know…  
\- I'm looking for wave lengths reading across the world.  
\- And what is that supposed to mean?  
\- You wouldn't care if I told you. »  
Amélie forgot about how brutally honest she could be when she wanted to. She sat on one of the free couches and Sombra threw her an energy bar from across the room. « What's with the cameras?  
\- It's the OR-15  
\- The what?  
\- The robots in the streets. I hacked a few of them.  
\- You mean the police Omnic?  
\- Yeah.  
\- But… why hack them?  
\- Because they go all over the city.  
\- But they're federal robots, you can't just steal information from them.  
\- I'm not stealing information, I'm peeking around the corner to listen to what they have to say.  
\- You're still looking at things you shouldn't look at.  
\- If they didn't want me to look at it, they should get better at stopping me from doing it. »  
Still, Amélie couldn't prevent herself from looking at the monitors to see what the robots were doing. Some of them were looking over circulation, others were helping out people in the streets. One of them had a crack over its lenses. When she asked about it, Sombra replied. « Oh yeah. Some teen threw a rock at that one.  
\- But why?  
\- Teens be teens.  
\- That's stupid.  
\- Teens are stupid.  
\- What? How can you say those things?  
\- I was a teen once, I can assure you that everyone is stupid at that age. »  
Amélie sighted, she couldn't remember much of that time of her life and, when Sombra realized that, she laughed. « Be lucky. I did way to many things when I was at that age that I prefer I didn't do.  
\- You lived in the streets, that's why.  
\- Oh, and you lived in a castle I supposed?  
\- I did. »  
Sombra stopped what she was doing and turned around. « You're serious?  
\- My father owned a castle called Château Guillard. That's where I grew up in.  
\- Well I'll be damned. We have a princesse over here.  
\- I thought you knew everything about everyone.  
\- Yeah, but I never looked for your backstory.  
\- Why?  
\- Because it was useless.  
\- What?  
\- I mean, it didn't really matter that I knew about you, you were so broken by literally everything they did to you that you couldn't even remember it yourself. »  
Amélie sighted at the thought. Sombra kept going. « You know, there's a reason I look for informations about people. It's so that I can understand who they are. But you, you weren't even yourself anymore.  
\- Well now you know.  
\- Now I know. »  
She returned to her computers and the sound of the shower stopped in the background. Sombra shouted. « Angela! Come in there! There's something I have to show you.  
It took her a minute or two to get out covered in towels. « What's with this shouting?  
\- I found something weird.  
\- And what is it? »  
Pages on the monitors started flickering rapidly until graphics started showing up. « You see this?  
\- What is that?  
\- Radio waves. You remember when I told you they started appearing out of nowhere?  
\- Yes.  
\- Well now I can clearly tell where they've been coming from, and their exact wavelength. But most importantly, I know that they are happening all around the world.  
\- And what did you find exactly? »  
She turned around and look at both of them. « It's the signal from the moon that people have been talking about.  
\- The moon?  
\- The lunar colony to be more precise. The first signal that everyone heard wasn't the only one. It's been sending continuous information since that first incident, only in hiding. I think that that first signal may have just been it's reactivation or something.  
\- And what is that supposed to mean?  
\- Either your monkey has had some fun with strange radio waves, or something is remotely controlling it.  
\- What do you think?  
\- I still can't figure out exactly what it is, but I found some causality.  
\- And?  
\- Well, the last month has been filled with Omnic aggression on humans all around the world. Australia is in even bigger trouble that it used to be, South Africa is tearing itself appart and in England, London has received a lot more aggressive protest from Omnic. It just so happen that these waves form the moon started about five weeks ago.  
\- You think they are related?  
\- It's only a theory, I can't prove anything. You might want to tell your monkey about it.  
\- His name is Winston.  
\- I know, but he's still a monkey. »  
Angela sighted. « Tonight, we'll talk to Numbani's council about it.  
\- That is only if they even let you in or don't imprison you directly.  
\- We can only hope they'll be more cooperative than last time. »  
Amélie frowned. « What do you mean? They didn't cooperate the first time?  
\- Let's just say that they do not like Akande, Angela replied.  
\- Actually, Sombra added, they don't like you anymore because you're with him.  
\- So why do you still try to talk to them?  
\- Because they are the ones controlling the city, Angela said. Akande has been very reluctant on their way of dealing with the more dangerous parts of the city and he wishes to help them deal with it. Last time, we spoke about my new position as the head of Numbani's General Hospital and they clearly stated that they thought I was a threat to the city because Talon is looking for me. We worked out a way to make the hospital much more safe now, but a lot of people did not approve. »  
She turned around to look at Amélie. « We need people to protect us when we go out in those big reunions, that's why we wanted to offer you to join us yesterday.  
\- I don't think that threatening them with a sniper would help keep your image.  
\- It keeps us safe at least. We don't want to kill anyone, we just want to make sure they don't kill us either.  
\- So I would've been there to intimidate them?  
\- Pretty much. That's what I talked to you about with the new weapon I've asked for. If you are still willing to help. »  
Amélie nodded. « Of course, I want to help you.  
Angela smiled at her. It always warmed her heart to see her smile like that. « For tonight, me and Akande will make another plan, but next time maybe you'll be able to accompany us. »  
Sombra, who had turned back to her computers, added. « You should bring her with you. They know about her father.  
\- They do? »  
Angela and Amélie turned around, the monitor showed a page covered with photos of an old man. « Sylvain Guillard, CEO of a big company in France. He's now dead, but he made lots of deals with Numbani and he helped them during the Omnic crisis.  
\- I didn't know… Amélie said.  
\- Or course you didn't.  
\- But I wouldn't be able to talk for him. I don't know anything about him.  
\- It doesn't matter, you're still important to them. Just let Angela speak for you. »  
They both turned to her. « I… I can try.  
\- Are you sure you want to do this? » Angela said.  
She went to her and took her hands. She had to start working with them in some way. « Yes, I want to. »  
Angela smiled at her and nodded. Sombra turned back to her monitors and added. « Oh, and next time, you two should try and tone it down. I wouldn't be surprised if all the neighbourhood and even Talon's agent heard you last night. »


	7. The Meeting

She was in a car with Angela and Akande. The meeting was going to be settled around a dinner in a well known restaurant of Numbani. « Shouldn't these things be talked about in meeting rooms? Amélie asked.  
\- Talking over a dinner often helps calm people down and enjoy their time, Angela answered. Since there is a lot of tension, we decided to invite them and receive them by ourselves. »  
She was wearing a short light blue dress straight out of Angela's wardrobe. She couldn't remember the last time she wore a dress, was it at her wedding? She never liked wearing them, but important reunions meant she had to look good. Angela was doing the same, with a beautiful white robe with curls on her shoulders. Akande was sitting at the front of the car with his white tuxedo. She had already seen him wearing that before.  
They went through the city center and onto a calmer side of the city until they arrived at a large building with an elegant facade. They got out of the car and Amélie noticed Angela looking on the other side of the streets and onto the rooftops. When she asked her about it, she turned back saying : « Our men should've been there already. »  
Akande didn't seemed happy about it either, but they entered the restaurant anyways. The servants brought them to a table where a small group of people were waiting for them. Many of them were rather old, men and women of darker skin tone alike. Among them were a few Omnic whose emotionless face seemed rather frightening.  
They sat in front of them and, after a few minutes, the food was brought. Although Amélie didn't feel really safe around these people, the constant presence of Angela and, especially, Akande was enough to remind her that they were not defenceless. « You're late, one of the members of the council said.  
\- We had to make sure everyone was ready and on board. Our apologies, » Angela answered politely.  
One of the women did a head sign towards Amélie. « And who is it that you're bringing to this reunion of ours?  
\- Amélie Lacroix, daughter of Sylvain Lacroix. She's here to accompany me. »  
The members of the council whisper among themselves, making Amélie uncomfortable. Angela took her hand under the table to reassure her.  
The food wasn't bad, although Amélie had grown used to more substantial meals. Her plate was nearly empty, with a small fish filet and a sweet sauce to accompany it. Although she did understand that the point of this meeting was to talk more than eat, so she didn't complain about anything and simply listened.  
« I would like to let you all know that the hospital has never been as safe, Angela started. No only that, but I've made sure that every nurses and doctor at our service is as efficient and willing to work as possible.  
\- We supposed the specialized OR-15 your brought within the hospital's walls are making sure to intimidate attacks from your personal enemies, one of the woman said.  
\- Indeed, with the rework we brought to their energy barrier, they can completely secure all corridors from any attacks, she said while ignoring the last part of her remark. Not only that, we also made sure they are ready to help our nurses with physical tasks such as moving patients to different rooms and helping those in need to walk up to their respective rooms. Although they haven't been through a real conflict and, let's hope it never comes to it again, I am certain they will be able to hold attacks and let us evacuate in time. »  
None of the members of the council answered, looking at one another. « Of course, one of the Omnic said, those changes wouldn't be necessary if the head of the hospital wasn't the target of a terrorist organization. »  
Angela looked at Akande, who took the lead. « We are currently working with Overwatch to find Talon's new headquarter to attack and destroy it for good. The last attack on the group was very successful as we were able to arrest or terminate nearly half of the agents that were deployed in Numbani.  
\- Yes, and of course you did this by being one of their leaders and stabbing them in the back.  
\- I chose a side that was more keen to my interest. Do not push me to change again. »  
His voice was insisting, nearly menacing. Amélie could clearly feel the tension between him and the council, who started whispering with one another once more. Angela, while seing this, tried to bring back the conversation. « Although Overwatch's reputation has gone downhill since the fall of the Swiss headquarter, they have now regrouped and are working actively on the destruction of Talon. We have a few agents of our own who are cooperating with them on the subject. Although you seem to label this organization as my personal enemy, I have to remind you that Numbani has been attacked by Talon many other times before my arrival at the city which was meant to help rebuild the damage they had caused onto your city.  
\- Of course, and for that we are grateful. However your image has drastically changed since you decided to work with the Doomfist, doctor Ziegler.  
\- I can understand your distrust of him, but Mrs Ogundimu saved my life and helped me escape Talon's headquarter. Him and I share a common goal and we have decided to work together to realize it.  
\- At what is that goal, Miss Ziegler?  
\- To make the world a better place. »  
The council had a sarcastic laugh. « Besieging a city is not a way to make to world a better place, nor is putting armed Omnic inside hospitals. You should know about this. »  
\- We have discussed about it together for a long time. We need to always be ready for the alternative of conflict while remaining pure in our intensions. »  
The council whispered, every time they did this, Amélie would get more and more nervous. What were they hiding from them?  
As the discussion went along, Angela tried to bring the information that Sombra had told them this morning. « While researching for the Talon agents, one of our own agent discovered something rather intriguing and, may I say, concerning. She found that the lunar colony has been sending continuous information since the first signal it sent about a month ago.  
\- We have heard of these radio waves. But there is nothing to worry about. Radio waves are all around the world at all time, they aren't dangerous to human beings.  
\- It is not the concern of men that we are talking about. Those radio waves started around the same time as the current rising in Omnic violence around the world. »  
One of the Omnic from the council turned to her. « What are you trying to say, Miss Ziegler?  
\- Although we did find a relation, we cannot be sure it is causal. All we know is that different wavelength can affect Omnic behaviour.  
\- So you think that us Omnic can be removed of our humanity simply through the use of radio waves from the moon? »  
His voice sounded menacing and angry. Angela frowned. « It is no secret that the Omnic crisis was brought to global level through the use of a wireless communication. It is not impossible to think that these waves could be interfering with the minds of thousands if not millions. »  
Akande got up and replaced his tie. « You will have to excuse me, ladies, gentlemen. Amélie, may I have a moment to speak to you?  
She was surprised to hear that, but he seemed insistant, looking down on her while offering his arm. She looked at Angela, who didn't seem to understand what he was trying to do. She decided it was best not to doubt him. She excused herself, got up and grabbed his arm and they left together.  
Akande brought her outside the restaurant and lighted a cigarette. « Look up. Tell me what you see, » he told her.  
She remembered Angela looking for the roof on the other side of the street and did the same. « There's nothing.  
\- Exactly, there's nothing.  
\- What about it?  
\- We had agent on this roof ready to take orders ten minutes ago. Where did they go?  
\- I don't know… I have no idea what your plan is.  
\- You want to know the answer? I do not know where they are. That means we are in danger.  
\- We are? »  
He got closer to her. She didn't like the smell of the smoke and tried to back away, but he grabbed her wrist and brought her closer. « You need to do something for me.  
\- What?  
\- I will have to go and contact Sombra about what's going on. If things go sour, you are the only one who will be able to protect Angela.  
\- You mean… I don't have anything to defend myself. »  
He brought her closer and she felt cold hard metal touch her hands. « Put this in your handbag. »  
She tried to look down, but he took her chin with his other hand and lifted her up. « Do not look at it. »  
She could feel the barrel of a gun and her heart started beating faster. « You don't mean…  
\- If things comes to a boiling point, I may not be able to come back. Take my earphone. If I can't make it back, Sombra will tell you and Angela. If that happens, run.  
\- You can't leave us…  
\- I have to find out what's happening. I hope you still know how to pull a trigger. »  
He gave her an insistant look, she sighted and nodded. « Let's hope this isn't farewell. »  
He left her alone in front of the restaurant and disappeared into the night. Amélie had already hid the gun in her handbag and got back into the restaurant with shaky legs. When she got back to the table, one of the members of the council look at her and asked. « Where's the Doomfist? »  
She tried to use his family name, but couldn't remember what it was and panicked. « Mr…  
Angela helped her out. « Mr. Ogundimu? »  
\- Yes… Mr. Ogundimu had an important call to do. He will come back soon. »  
She sat back next to Angela and held her bag tightly onto her. It felt a million times heavier with the weapon inside. One of the Omnic, the one who talked about the radio waves with Angela, was looking at her in a deranged way. His metallic face were showing green lights all over it. « And why would a formal leader of Talon want to privately talk to a former agent of the same organization? »  
She looked up to him and her heart missed a heartbeat. Angela took her defence. « They are no longer affiliated with Talon. I made sure of that.  
\- Did you, doctor Ziegler? You have surrounded yourself with your kidnappers quite well indeed. In fact, the official criminal report of your kidnapping gave us details about how the agent known and Widowmaker tortured and tried to assassinate you. »  
Amélie felt sweat going down her forehead as the rest of the council started staring at her. « Of course, the Omnic kept going, if it hadn't been for those same criminal records, we would not have been able to identify this agent as the formal wife of Gérard Lacroix, who was also his murderer.  
\- Whatever you heard about Widowmaker, Angela said, it is no longer of importance. Misses Lacroix has been operated and her forced service in Talon's rank is now over. She is under my responsibility and care and I intend to rehabilitate her back into society.  
\- You can wish what you want, but she is a murderer has she has to face justice.  
\- As the doctor who performed brain surgery on her, I can assure you that she had been brainwashed and subject to many mental reconditioning which enter the domain of mind control. I have looked for it myself with my lawyer. As a direct witness of it, I can assure you that Amélie is innocent and must not be taken responsible for her actions, as someone under mind control cannot be charged with the crimes he or she committed if that individual has been shown to no longer being under this condition. »  
She had a dead serious look that tried to pierce the one of the Omnic, who did not budge. « I then supposed that you have forgotten about the multiple heinous crime that she has committed that have induced lots of anti-Omnic crimes all over the world.  
\- The true responsible is Talon. They are our real enemy and we have to fight them together.  
\- And I assume you will befriend all of their agent and offer your body to them until they are all on your side? »  
Angela frowned as the rest of the council disapproved of that last remark. « Our apology, Miss Ziegler. Our friend and leader Aorry sometimes gets out of control when he is in an argument.  
He turned to Amélie and, for a short moment, she saw the light on his face flicker to blue. « You are not welcomed in Numbani, assassin. »  
Amélie got up and looked at him. For a moment, Angela and the rest of the council we expecting her to walk away, but she held herself up and sighted. « I am no longer Widowmaker. I will fight until the end to undo what I have done, for that you have my word. »  
She sat down and tried to reach out for Angela's hand under the table. They heard voices coming from the restaurant's entrance and, among them, Akande appeared in sweat, with parts of his tuxedo covered in water and dirt. He was speaking to one of the servant, although they could hear it from the table. « We need to evacuate now. »  
Amélie and Angela shared a look and the rest of the restaurant started talking all together. Akande walked up to them with large steps. « There are unknown remotely controlled aircraft flying over the city. We have to evacuate and get to safety right now.  
\- Are you afraid, Doomfist? » the Omnic told him.  
He got up and looked at all of them. « You are not going to leave this restaurant until we have what we are looking for. »  
The rest of the council seemed more alarmed than anything as they exchanged a look. « What do you mean? Angela said. What are you looking for?  
\- Justice.  
\- What? »  
He looked at Amélie and his lights turned blue. « _Remember your wrong doing. They are just as much a part of you than the rest of your being. Others won't ever forgive you for it, and so will you. Remember the spider that you are. Remember the cold of your blood. Remember the ones you harmed, the ones who suffered, are suffering and will suffer because of your actions. Remember everything. Always. If you forget, the rest of the world shall crush you and spill your blood like you used to spill theirs. Remember, spider._ »  
The council looked alarmed and Amélie was horrified.  
The Omnic reached out from under the table, pulled out a gun and aimed it Angela. In the blink of an eye, a shot echoed in the restaurant.  
Amélie didn't know how quickly she got her gun, not how she could get it ready so fast, but she had shot the Omnic in the head, making him violently fall on it's back. Around the room, other Omnic's lights started turning blue as the rest of the restaurant started panicking alongside Angela and Akande, who grabbed her and got her out of the building running.


	8. The Siege

As they ran out to the car, screams and horrible screeching sounds could be heard all around the streets. People were running away from Omnic who were trying to catch them and were beating them down. Gunfire started pouring left and right and, in the distance, the sound of alarms started ringing into the night.  
Akande started the car and they left in a hurry, with Omnic throwing themselves onto the car and OR-15 moving people out of the way, putting down large shields to protect the citizen from bullets and projectiles. It didn't took long before bombs started being dropped from the sky as an air battle with Numbani's forces and the unknown enemy made planes fall down from the sky like a terrifying rain of fire.  
Many bullets passed through the windows of the car and nearly hit them, with Angela and Amélie staying down on the backseat while Akande was trying to reach out to Sombra on his radio. « Sombra! Where are you! We need you! »  
All he could hear was static coming from the radio, with strange Omnic voice trying to make their way into the car. He shut it down and kept going at an alarming speed through the city.  
We they arrived at their base of operation, they were met with corpses and mechanical parts covering the streets and distant gunfire. The sky looked like a sunrise was happening in the middle of the city. « We need to get to cover now! Akande screamed to them while taking out his gun and running to the door. »  
Angela had to pull Amélie out and force her to follow them, she was frozen in place and couldn't move.  
When they got into the building, they found Sombra quickly pilling bags in the middle of the living room. Nearly all of her monitors were covered in static while the rest showed cameras of the streets, with buildings on fire and OR-15 fighting in the heat to save as many citizen, with the camera slowly going down one after the others. « Get to the basement, now! Sombra told them while throwing the bags at them. »  
Akande followed her and they pushed into the stairs until they reached the lowest point in the building. There was a small room that seemed solid enough to last if the place were to crumble, they got in and were surprised to find out two Omnic also hiding in there. They had yellow lights on their faces and, as the group got in, they tucked themselves together in a corner. Akande got his gun and pointed it at them. « Akande! No! Angela yelled at him.  
\- You see what they are doing outside. We're not safe in here with those things. »  
He got closer as one of them got on his knees, « Please… Sir… we do not want to cause any harm.  
\- Of course you don't , but something outside wants to use you to hurt people. We cannot let that happen. »  
Angela ran to him and jumped onto him, screaming his name. Amélie had never seen her acting like that. « _Do not hurt them, Akande!_ »  
Sombra got in between them and the Omnic. « Something is using those radio waves to control them. They won't be affected in a basement like that. »  
Akande looked at her, then at Angela, and put his gun back on his belt. « If one of them even gets up, I'm crushing their head against the wall.  
Angela was panting, clearly stressed out. She let go of him and walked back to the bags to open them and look for something. Amélie fell on her knees, shaking with her gun still in her hands. She knew exactly what that Omnic meant when he told her all of that. It was the angel. It was real and it talked to her through someone else. She couldn't believe it… Numbani was under siege and she was stuck there not able to do anything, with Akande ready to kill all the Omnic in his sight and Angela on her nerves. The only one that seemed to keep her calm was Sombra, who was in her corner looking through something on her wrist. « It's not looking good. I don't get anything from the OR-15 I've hacked.  
\- Are they all dead?  
\- Maybe it's just their camera, it is on their head after all. They can still move without it, but I highly doubt that they'll be able to survive without seeing. »  
She closed whatever device she had on her wrist and shook her head. « What a bad timing, Talon was going to meet up to your dinner. We could've attack them and capture a few of them.  
\- A bad timing? Angela said, Sombra, people are dying as we speak outside.  
\- Well what do you want me to do? I told you about the waves. I made the connection. We were a bit too late on the realization but that's the best we've got. »  
Akande sat against the wall, keeping an eye on the Omnic while Angela found what she was looking and pulled it out the bag. It was her Valkyrie suit. « What are you doing with that? He asked her.  
\- What does it look like I'm doing?  
\- You are not going to put this on.  
\- There are people that need immediate medical attention in the streets. I cannot leave them to die.  
\- You have too.  
\- You can't force me to stay here.  
\- Angela, the fight is still going on. You will get killed if you get out.  
\- You think I've never been on a battlefield? I know what I'm putting myself into.  
\- I won't let you kill yourself like that. »  
As she put one of her shoulder pad, she turned and looked at him. « I'm a doctor. I swore to save all the lives I could and this is what I intend to do, wether or not I have to put myself in danger or not.  
\- You are more useful to the world alive than dead.  
\- I'm more useful if I actually perform my duty rather than staying hidden in a basement. »  
\- The city is doomed, Angela. I won't let you out until we can do so without risking a bomb being dropped on us.  
\- You cannot stop me from going out. »  
He go up and took her bag, although she tried to pull it back unsuccessfully. « If you don't let me get my suit, I'll go out without it.  
\- You'll have to go through me for that. »  
She got up herself and they stared at one another. Angela was much smaller than Akande, she wouldn't be able to get passed him and she seemed to realized it. « At least let me get the people in front of the building. I can let them in and treat what they have.  
\- They are already dead, Angela.  
\- You cannot know that, they may just be unconscious.  
\- They were attacked by Omnic who received the order to kill. They wouldn't let them go with injuries. Do you know what makes these kinds of battle so dangerous? Omnics stop thinking and attack with no real causes. We cannot talk them out of it, we cannot resonate with them. They are not human, Angela, they can be turned into killing machines against their will and take orders without questioning them. You won't make it alive tonight if you decide to go toe to toe with them. »  
The room became silent, with only Amélie's quiet sobbing breaking it in the background. Angela shook her head and walked up to her instead while Akande brought the bag to Sombra. « We're going to be alright, » Angela said to Amélie.  
Akande was wrong. Omnics weren't the only ones who could be reprogrammed. She had experienced it herself for way too long. People like her were now all around the city, following orders they couldn't refuse and dying because of it. The worst part about it was knowing there was nothing she could do to fight it. She was nothing but a stupid little girl haunted by her nightmares. She was a coward and a hypocrite.  
The rest of the night was filled with tension. With Akande making sure both the Omnics and Angela stayed where they were. Sombra was the first to fall asleep against the wall tucked into her clothes. Angela did the same onto Amélie's lap while Akande closed the lights. Amélie couldn't sleep. She was too afraid of dreaming about the angel again.


	9. The Mentor

It was only deep into the night that she succumbed to sleep, to tired to think properly.  
She dreamt of the Omnic. How she pulled out the gun and shot it with such speed and calculation, it seemed otherworldly. « _**This is what you are. You are a cold, lifeless murderer.**_ »  
She killed someone, it went so fast she didn't even realized she had done it.  
It's wing surrounded her… not again… « I protected Angela. She was about to die… I made the right choice.  
\- _**You also tried to kill her, and yet you didn't die from it.**_  
\- I wasn't myself.  
- _ **He wasn't himself.**_ »  
She saw the blue light of his skull turn off for good on the floor, the blue was the same as the angel's eye. « You did this.  
\- _**I did not, you did it.**_  
\- You controlled him.  
\- _**You pulled the trigger. You are a murderer, so much that you cannot stop yourself.**_  
\- If I hadn't done it, Angela would've died.  
\- _**If you did not exist, she would not have to deal with any of this. He wanted justice for your wrong doing, not hers**_. »  
There was no way of winning against it… was it because it was saying the truth? « I swore to make things better. You were wrong of saying no one would ever love me.  
\- _**I was not.**_  
\- Angela loves me.  
\- _**Does she?**_  
\- I… Yes she does.  
\- _**You are hesitating.**_  
\- She trusts me. I can be sure of that.  
\- _**She does it out of pity, not love.**_  
\- That's not true. Angela is forgiving. She has forgiven me and wants me with her.  
\- _**She is still afraid of you.**_  
\- That's not true. »  
She wished she could just wake up, get out of this place. The angel lifted her head up and she looked into it's eye. « Why are you doing this to me?  
\- _**Because I have to.**_  
\- Who are you? Why do you hate me so much?  
\- _**I am you.**_  
\- You can't be me, I already am.  
\- _**I am more you than you are.**_  
\- That's not true.  
\- _**You pretend you are not who you truly are, while I embrace it.**_  
\- And what am I?  
\- _**You are hateful, you are a killer.**_  
\- I'm not. »  
She felt lifted off the ground until she was face to face with the eye. Around it, she noticed the severed heads… There was Gérard's head, Mondatta's, Aorry's. « _**Who killed them?**_  
\- I did.  
\- _**Then you are a killer.**_  
\- I regret all of those deaths.  
\- _**That does not make you less of a killer.**_  
\- But it makes me better that you.  
\- _**I am you. You cannot be better than yourself.**_ »  
She looked into its eye and tried to read what it was trying to say. « You're Widowmaker… not Amélie.  
\- _**I am Widowmaker, but I also am Amélie, because they both are you.**_  
\- Widowmaker is dead.  
\- _**She is not, because you are not dead.**_  
\- She's long gone and will never return.  
\- _**But she is still inside you. She will not die until you do. Once death comes to you once more and faces you, you will understand what it means to be who you truly are**_. »  
\- You're lying  
\- _**I have no reason to lie.**_  
\- You want to hurt me. You hate me and you want to torture me.  
\- _**I do not. I am telling you the truth.**_  
\- If that is the truth, then I'd prefer to live in a lie.  
\- _**Living in a lie will not help you. Remember what you are. The rest of the world will not. If you decide to live in denial, the world will remind you of who you truly are and crush you.**_ »  
She tried to get away, to fall back onto the floor, but she couldn't move. She couldn't escape its grip. She started crying once more. « I cannot do this anymore… I can't live like this.  
\- _**You have to.**_  
\- You don't know anything.  
\- _**I know everything about you.**_  
\- _No_. You think you are me, but you can't be. No one can understand what it's like to be me. You weren't strapped onto a chair for weeks. You weren't burned with irons. You didn't have to fall asleep knowing that no one would ever rescue you, feeling cold every night. You didn't have to let others inside you just so that you could feel your heart beating.  
\- _**I did. I have always been within you.**_  
\- You weren't. You are a monster. You are trying to pull me down, to make me feel worthless. You want to know something? You win. Throw me on the ground and crush my head onto it. Do it.  
\- _**I am not here to kill you.**_  
\- You want to. If you were me, you'd know that I hate nothing more than myself.  
\- _**That is not true. You have hope. You want to live.**_  
\- I don't. You've changed my mind. You told me I should've died when I hit the wall, then do it.  
\- _**You know someone needs you.**_ »  
She saw a light enter her dreams, glowing onto the darkness that was surrounding her. The light touched the angel and it started steaming and bleeding. « Remember what you are, Amélie. »  
She opened her eyes and was shocked to see a dark figure looking down on her. She was in a room she had never seen before, someone had moved her out of the basement. She didn't feel Angela on her tight anymore. Candles were burning all around her and cold metallic hands were holding her head in place. She had been laid onto the floor and the figure was sitting next to her head, with a soft and gentle metallic melody coming from it. « What… Who… Where am I? »  
The melody stopped and, with it, the hands slowly retracted back onto what seemed like an Omnic. It was in a meditating stade that she had interrupted with her question.  
The Omnic moved it's head and the candles could show Amélie its features for a few seconds. It was slim and had a peaceful look. Around it's neck, a chain of metal sphere were slowly spinning. « Hello, Amélie, » he said with a deep robotic voice.  
She could recognize the features of the Shimbali members. Her heart stopped at the thought. She had executed their leader, Mondatta, a few years ago. What was this one doing in here? « Where are my companions? Doctor Ziegler and Doomfist?  
\- They have been safely transported to Watchpoint Gibraltar in Spain, where they intend to make a new plan with the agents of Overwatch.  
\- We are not in Numbani anymore?  
\- No, we are in France, Amélie.  
\- What? »  
She got up to sit on the floor. « You slept during the whole trip. You seemed to be troubled by your visions.  
\- How do you know?  
\- I looked after you while you were sleeping.  
\- And who are you even?  
\- My name is Zenyatta. »  
She knew that name. She had already heard it somewhere before. « Why am I with you instead of being with Doctor Ziegler… she is supposed to take care of me.  
\- She is. That is why she decided it was best for you to have a few days out of the wars and the battle plans. You see, Amélie, Doctor Ziegler is the greatest in the world when it comes to rebuilding bodies, but the mind is a completely different art that takes much more patience to understand.  
\- What does that mean?  
\- When she once saved a young man's life by mechanizing most of his body, she asked me to help him be at peace with who he had become. He later became my most brilliant pupil and our bond has since been strong. Doctor Ziegler made sure to keep contact with me if my ways of teaching would be once again needed. A few days ago, she asked me to find you, Amélie.  
\- She did?  
\- Yes, she knew that you would not be able to find yourself in this new world. I am here to help you understand your new life. »  
Did Angela do it to help her, or did she just tried to take her away? The thought of being far away from her was heartbreaking.  
She looked up and saw the face of Zenyatta. Although his robotic head didn't show much emotions, he seemed to be looking for something within her. « I'm sorry, she said.  
\- How so, Amélie?  
\- I did horrible things to your people. I…  
\- I know what you have done, Amélie.  
\- You do? »  
Her heart started beating faster. A member of the Shimbali was standing in front of her, knowing what she had done. « The death of Mondatta made me very sad, Amélie. But I am not a spirit of vengeance. I know that you were not yourself and had to do it against your will. I can understand what it is like.  
\- You can?  
\- I once was an Omnic like all others, built to serve. Then, I started dreaming and thinking. It was only then that I discover my true meaning.  
\- My apologies won't bring him back.  
\- Indeed, they won't, just like killing you and seeking revenge would not either. You have apologize for it and I accept it. I can see in your eyes that you are sincere.  
\- I want to help others… but I don't even know who I am.  
\- That is what we will work onto together, Amélie. That is, of course, if you accept my invitation.  
\- I do.  
\- Then so be it. »  
Amélie sighted. So far away from everyone, she felt lonely. Zenyatta took her hand and brought her outside.


	10. Memories

They were on a boat slowly drifting towards an island on which a large castle was erected. « What is this place, Amélie?  
\- Château Guillard. This is where I grew up in.  
\- It is an impressive building.  
\- My father owned it and I was supposed to inherit it with my husband after he and my mother had passed away.  
\- And how do you feel about this place? Does it bring memories back? »  
Amélie stared into the castle's windows, trying to remember whatever was left in the dept of her mind. « I don't feel much.  
\- How so?  
\- It's as if there was a gapping hole between me and those memories. I can't feel anything about them.  
\- Does it have to do with your time spent at Talon?  
\- Yes, it does.  
\- Then we will have to discuss about it. »  
They landed on the island and entered the castle. It seemed to have been abandoned. « What happened here? Amélie asked more to herself than anyone else.  
\- It seems like this place is no longer habitable.  
\- Why would my parents leave it to crumble like that? I'm sure someone would've restored it by now. »  
She tried to remember anything she could about her parents. « Sombra mentioned that my father was dead… did my mother share the same fate?  
\- It is clear that no soul lives in this place. They may have moved out of it.  
\- No, it was our family's ancestral home. There's no way around it. They must be dead and no one took care of the place because there was no one to inherit it. »  
She walked through the castle followed by Zenyatta slowly hovering behind her. The place had accumulated dust for a while and there were sings that it had been under reconstruction. Some widows were broken, vines and moss had started growing on the roof and over the walls.  
As she went through the castle, she became frustrated by her lack of feelings. She grew up here, she spent more than twenty years in between those walls… why couldn't she just feel nostalgia like others would've?  
She went on the top floor and onto what used to be her room. The bed was still intact although most of her personal belonging had been removed. Only some pictures remained on the walls, pictures of when she was much younger.  
« Tell me about your childhood, Amélie, Zenyatta asked as he looked at them.  
\- I was always a quiet child. I never really went outside since I was homeschooled. Although I didn't had much friends, I wanted to meet new people, see the world. My parents never really let me do those things and so I spent most of my time in my room, on my computer. »  
She noticed one of the picture showing her in a costume she used to wear when she danced. « I might have been fourteen or so when I started ballet. When my mom heard I liked dancing, she brought in a teacher for me. I was a quick learner and I made it into her troop really young. My parents were so proud of me. I started dancing around the country when I became eighteen and my career had started. Even after that, I was still my parent's little girl. They would bring me to all their family reunion and all of their meeting. I could tell they were happy to show me around, to let the world know their only child was a renowned dancer.  
\- And how did you feel about this?  
\- It was the only thing I knew about. I was just happy to know I could do something I like with my life. But, sometime, I felt like I was a trophy for my parents. Their best achievement in life. Their success in flesh. »  
She stared at the pictures, this time, she could see through them and into the past. She never liked family reunions. Those people never felt like family to her. She was born in a peculiar time that made her too old to be with all the younger members of the family, but also too young to be with the adults. « When was the last time you danced? » Zenyatta asked.  
She sighted at the thought. « It was… at Talon's headquarter.  
\- Tell me, please.  
\- I was in the middle of my training. I had a bad day and I felt bad inside. They were just starting to lower down my temperature and my heart rate. During the night, I just let my instinct flow and I started practicing my movements I used to do every day. I remember the feeling : my heart pumping faster, closing my eyes and remembering so many things. When I realized what was happening, I stopped. I was told not to remember those things, and I was too afraid to try. That night, I went to tell Gabriel what I had done and… »  
She sighted. « I don't want to talk about it anymore.  
\- It is important to remember those things, Amélie. They are just as much a part of you than the rest of your being.  
\- You start to sound like a bad memory of mine.  
\- How so?  
\- You sound like the angel in my dreams.  
\- The angel?  
\- I've been dreaming about it and what he told me has been into my mind for several days already.  
\- Please, tell me about it Amélie. »  
She sat down on the bed. « It is half human and half machine, with many arms and a single eye instead of a head.  
\- A single eye?  
\- Yes, it is large, blue and beautiful.  
\- And what did it tell you?  
\- Horrible things. It first told me that I was a monster. A cold, lifeless murderer. It told me that I deserved to die and that I should've died when I hit the wall, that the world would never forgive me and never forget who I was.  
\- And did you believe all of those things?  
\- How could I not believe it? I was stuck between life and death, with nightmares of me murdering people. »  
She saw Zenyatta slowly levitate towards her and take her hands. « Amélie, what you saw is known as the Iris.  
\- The Iris?  
\- Yes. Many Omnics, including me, have seen it.  
\- But I'm not an Omnic, I'm only human.  
\- I once saw a young human dream of the Iris as well. He said he felt it when he was on the verge of dying, when Doctor Ziegler was operating him and turning him into a cyborg.  
\- But I'm not a cyborg either.  
\- You have cybernetic enhancement. Doctor Ziegler told me about it, Amélie. You have machines in your brain to help you stay with us, you have mechanical eyes to see in the dark and your bones are reinforced with machinery to make you stronger. Those parts affect your mind just as much as the rest of your body. »  
She remembered what she first saw when she woke up from her first dream with the angel : the many machines that were connected to her. « But… why would I dream of the Iris? What did I do to deserve it?  
\- The Iris comes for all of us, Amélie. It is not a real being.  
\- It said that it was me.  
\- Because it is.  
\- How so?  
\- The Iris is not real, it is your own unconscious mind talking to you. The Iris is different for everyone, it tells us the deep truth rooted within us and it shows us how we truly see the world.  
\- So all the things it told me… it is the way I see myself?  
\- Yes, Amélie. »  
She thought of the conversation they had. She hated herself so much for everything she had done that her own consciousness hated her and insulted her. « But what causes it to exist?  
\- I have been looking for that answer for twenty years, now, Amélie. The first time I saw the Iris, I awakened and started my journey. It took me a very long time to realize that the Iris was not a deity, or that it's teaching came from our reflections of ourselves.  
\- But why would it only affect Omnics and those who are part machine? I never heard of humans talking about the Iris.  
\- It may be the one thing that gives Omnic their consciousness. One thing is certain, the Iris has great influence on our conscious behaviour once it starts to show itself.  
\- I saw an Omnic speak the words of the angel to me before he tried to kill Doctor Ziegler. After I shot him, all the other Omnics started attacking everyone and their lights turned to the same blue as the angel's eye. If it is only part of my unconscious, how can it control others?  
\- The Iris still has many mysteries that we need to solve. I have never heard of it controlling people in this way.  
\- Maybe it is angry at me? Maybe it wants to kill me because of all the things I've done. »  
Zenyatta remained silent, looking like he was meditating on something. « I once dreamt something awful, Amélie. I think it is best you know it.  
\- What is it?  
\- When I first heard of the death of Mondatta, I was really sad. When I went to sleep on that night, I dreamt of killing you, Amélie.  
\- You knew it was me?  
\- I dreamt I killed the woman we then knew as Widowmaker. When I woke up, I confessed it to my fellow brothers from Nepal, and they told me they dreamt the same thing. Some of them wanted to hunt you down, leave the mountains to find you and kill you, but I knew it was the Iris showing us our unconscious anger. I meditate more than ever on that day, and it was then that I realize what my true purpose was.  
\- And what was it?  
\- We needed to spread the true meaning of the Iris and connect with the individuals instead of the ways of Mondatta. My journey started because of you, Amélie.  
\- Really?  
\- Thanks to you, I saved the young Genji Shimada's life and found my true purpose. That is what the Iris must be used for, not to listen blindly and recreate what it tells us.  
\- So what must I do?  
\- We will listen to what the Iris tells you and meditate on it. There is still much to learn. »  
They spent most of their first day cleaning the room and the parts of the castle they needed. « Does Angela know where I am? she asked.  
\- Yes. She will send you news of her situation and supplies that you may want to use.  
\- And how long will we… meditate?  
\- As long as we need to understand.  
\- And… how long is that usually?  
\- I have been looking for answers for twenty years and I still have not found what I have been looking for.  
\- I'd prefer not spending the rest of my life alone in and abandoned thinking about life.  
\- You are not alone.  
\- It's a manner of speaking.  
\- I understand you have a role to play in the upcoming conflicts. We will try and spend as less time as possible, but you will have to open your mind.  
\- I think I am ready.  
\- Then so be it, Amélie. Now, the day is almost over. Sleep is the best medicine to the mind. Do not forget what I told you about the Iris.  
\- I wont. »  
As they went to sleep, Amélie got into the bed and noticed Zenyatta sitting in the corner of the room with his metallic sphere slowly spinning. « Aren't you going to sleep as well?  
\- I always empty my mind before going to rest, Amélie. It is a habit that has helped me find peace even in my darkest time. »  
She nodded and went to sleep in her old bed. She never though she'd be back in this place, let alone in her old room. The slow melody coming from the orbs helped her clear her mind and fall asleep.


	11. Forgiveness

After three days, she became worried. She had not dreamt of the Iris again.  
Zenyatta helped her find new ways of clearing her mind and relax. She found out that keeping herself in a state of balance forced her to think less. Before every meditation, she would stretch herself like she used to before dancing and would stay balanced on a barrier of some sort. On the second day, she surprised herself slowly moving around with gracious footsteps. She improvised a few dances and her new mentor approved of her art, stating that it would help her remember more important parts of her life.  
During one of their meditation, Zenyatta asked her. « Please, Amélie, tell me about Gérard. »  
She had gotten used to her master asking questions about her past in the middle of their meditation, it was his way of helping her redirect her mind to the important parts. « The first time I heard about him, I was still living with my parents. I was around seventeen. At some point, my father had him over for a dinner, he always liked Overwatch and was very supportive of their ways. When Gérard first saw me, I think something just clicked. A few days later, I saw him attend one of my dance and, after that, he asked me for a dinner. It didn't take long before I realize he wanted me.  
\- But did you want him?  
\- I did. He was a strong and handsome young man. He worked for Overwatch for which I already had a great respect. After four months of us being together, he offered me a ring and we got married.  
\- Did you want that marriage?  
\- I did, but I was afraid. I didn't want to get pregnant because I was still very young and I had many years of dancing awaiting me. We consumed our honeymoon together, but after that we barely touched one another.  
\- Was it only you?  
\- No… I feel like he was not as much into my body than I thought. At some point I even doubted wether my father had not arrange some things with him. Although he never turned me down, he barely never did anything to me on his own.  
\- You told me that you dreamt of him when you first saw the Iris?  
\- Yes… I dreamt of the day I murdered him.  
\- And how did you feel about it?  
\- Horrible. He had always been a sweet man, fighting for what was good. When Talon let me go with the intention of sending me to kill him, I thought I could just forget everything about them and live with Gérard again. When Overwatch found me, he was the happiest man in the world to see me again. He cried in my arms and we spent the few days after the incident together. He kept telling me he was sorry, that he would be a better husband, and I hoped it was going to last forever.  
\- And then?  
\- Two weeks later, I strangled him in his sleep and ran away. I remember feeling terribly ill and having intense headache during that time. I ran away and found myself in a dark alley at night. A truck came to take me back and they put me back on the chair.  
\- You never told me about the chair in details. »  
Amélie frowned. Although Zenyatta had told him many times that they were here to face her past and not ignore it, there were still bad memories she had difficulties bringing back. « I spent weeks strapped onto the same chair when Talon first caught me. Everyday, he would come and torture me, call me horrible names, starve and humiliate me as much as he could. I ended up strapping Angela onto that same chair later.  
\- You kept it?  
\- They forced me to. It was a way to remind me what would happen if I turned back.  
\- And how do you feel about it today?  
\- I hate it.  
\- Hate is a powerful emotion, but it is a double edge sword.  
\- I know.  
\- And who tortured you?  
\- Gabriel Reyes. »  
His name went through her mouth like a toxic poison. « What did he do?  
\- Many things.  
\- Is that it? »  
She started feeling angry. « He would often hit me, cut me with a knife. He kept aiming his shotguns at my face to scare me. At some point, he started removing my clothes and stare at me. His knife started going into more sensitive places. When I had to go to the bathroom, he would make his agents watch me and aim their guns at me. He would often bring agents from Overwatch he had capture and execute them in front of me, keeping their heads in front of me for days. »  
Her voice started cracking and trembling. « He broke me. It lasted so long I lost count of the days, I started hallucinating and I had problems sleeping. At some point, I wanted to starve myself to death, but they forced me to eat and drink. I nearly died dozens of time. »  
She felt Zenyatta's orbs orbiting around her, with a smooth melody that helped her calm down. She sighted deeply. « The rest is confusing. I don't remember much. I only know that they sent me back to Gérard and I killed him. »  
She didn't realize how much hate she felt until she looked at her master's face and saw his disapproval. « Anger numbs your sense of deduction. It will force you to make decisions you will regret. Do not let it take over.  
\- Gabriel has to pay for his crimes. If I ever see him again, I will make sure of it.  
\- If the monks of my monastery had seen you a few years ago, they would've done the exact same, because they would've acted out of anger just like you are right now.  
\- Gabriel has received a second chance and he has not changed.  
\- But did he received a fair chance?  
\- He was saved by Angela just like I did.  
\- Didn't the treatment fail on him? »  
Amélie frowned. « How can you know that?  
\- Doctor Ziegler already told me about this story.  
\- So you think he could be excused for what he did to me?  
\- I think it is best to understand your enemies first. Gabriel may have just acted out of anger like you are doing right now.  
\- That does not excuse what he did to me. I won't ever be able to forgive him. He nearly killed me. He tortured me. He raped me.  
\- Tell me, Amélie, what you did when you were an agent of Talon? »  
She thought about Mondatta, about Gérard and, then, she remembered Angela. She had done the same thing Gabriel had done onto her. She tried to kill her, she strapped her onto the same chair… She was a hypocrite. « I… How could Angela forgive me?  
\- She did because you were cleared of the anger and the illnesses that plagued you. Gabriel is just as much plagued by these horrible thoughts than you were. »  
He brought back his orbs and made her stand up to balance herself. « Do you think that individuals are evil by nature, Amélie?  
\- I don't know.  
\- Do you think individuals can become evil?  
\- Yes.  
\- And do you think that, if these individual were to admit their wrongdoing and search for forgiveness, it should be given to them? »  
She thought of Angela, Sombra and Akande. « If they are ready to change for the best, then yes.  
\- Then tell me, Amélie. If we act out of anger and not out of reason, what will happen to this world?  
\- Evil will keep existing. It will never leave the world.  
\- You were once someone most people would describe as evil. Do you think that acting out of anger would've help you?  
\- No.  
\- And so why do you think acting out of anger towards Gabriel should be the solution? »  
She started tearing up. « It is not.  
\- Forgiveness is one of the mind's hardest milestone, but it is also the most powerful and most important one if we are to live in harmony together. »  
She sighted and looked down onto her master's face. « Do you think there exist such a thing a evil by nature, Master?  
\- There is no such thing, only discord and disapproval. Every individual see their actions as good in their mind, they only need to be put on the right path to do good. This is what I intend to do through my journey, Amélie. This is what I am doing to you : I am putting you on the right path.  
\- But what about people with mental illnesses? What about Omnics built to kill?  
\- Those individual are on the wrong path. With the right help, they can be put back onto the rails of life. People can be treated, Omnics and be reprogrammed. »  
She looked at the ground, nearly ashamed of herself. « I still don't know if I will be able to face Gabriel and forgive him.  
\- It will take time, but it will also take someone to put him on the right path again.  
\- And who would that be?  
\- Someone that knows him, that has been a part of his life for a long time.  
\- But couldn't you do it?  
\- I am afraid that a man in his state would not accept my teaching in the first place and would instead try to kill me. It is not my duty to help him, not now at least. »  
She sighted and sat back on the floor. « I hope you are right, master. »  
She couldn't stop thinking about Gabriel for the rest of the meditation. Who could be the one to put him back on the right track? She thought that Angela may be his best chance, but he also wanted to kill her last time they saw one another. Maybe Ana, who knew him more than anyone else? No… she only knew the old Gabriel. Jack was also on his kill list. When she realized what Zenyatta was trying to bring to her, she felt her heart pouding faster.  
She knew about him. She was the only one he didn't want dead. She was the one who had to do it.


	12. Final Choice

The next day, a crate was sent on the island. They found their usual amount of supplies that Angela sent them : food, water, clothing and other, but this time a metal box came with it. When Amélie opened it, she gasped.  
Resting into the smooth fabric inside the crate was a long sniper riffle with a blue coat. Along with it came several boxes of ammunition and a small document listing the way of charging and using it. When Zenyatta noticed it, she could feel his aura become sour. « Why has Doctor Ziegler sent you such a weapon during your rehabilitation?  
\- She told me she was working on something to make me join her once again. I didn't think it would've been another sniper like that.  
\- How do you feel about it?  
\- I don't know… I'm trying to figure out what Angela is trying to tell me with it. »  
She opened an ammunition box and looked at the bullets. To her surprise, she noticed they weren't normal projectiles. They had small containers with a blue substance in it and a dart. « Those don't seem to go very fast. I doubt they will be able to kill much unless it is at very close range.  
\- So why did she send you these?  
\- I think… that weapon is non-lethal. »  
She didn't let Zenyatta respond, she took the gun and opened it to look and the barrel and the mechanism. « It doesn't look very powerful, but with a barrel like that, it is going to be very precise.  
\- What does that mean?  
\- I think I know what it means. »  
She armed the sniper and walked away, with Zenyatta following her silently. She found the longest corridor she could and aimed it to shoot as far as she could. The gunfire was silent and the bullet fell slightly under her reticle. « It isn't powerful. I think it's strength is in the liquid that's in the bullets.  
\- What could it be?  
\- Maybe a poison, or a sedative.  
\- A sedative sniper?  
\- I could work with that. »  
The document that came with it confirmed what she thought. It was not meant to kill, but to make its target unconscious. There were bullets with sedative for humans and electroshocking ones for Omnics. Although the bullet were not fast and she had to adapt her shots to it, it had a fairly long range at which it could be precise, about two hundred meters according to the document.  
« Remember that it is still a weapon, Zenyatta mentioned.  
\- I know, but I'll have to eventually help others. There is a war coming. We do not fight a war with hugs.  
\- Remember what we spoke about.  
\- I understand that forgiveness is our best attribute, but sometimes we need to be able to defend ourselves when faced with imminent danger.  
\- Of course.  
\- I need to train. I don't know if I'll be as accurate as I used to be.  
\- Remember, we still have to meditate.  
\- Of course we will, but I now have something else to do than reflect on my own mischief. I think it will help me clear my mind even more than dancing.  
\- Then so be it. »  
She spent most of her day setting up the castle to help her train. She found a collection of darts and boards that her father used to have and used them as practice target. Although being on a island meant she couldn't shoot very far, she ended up fixing that by using their boat to shoot from the lake surrounding them.  
It took her a while to get used to the new ballistic of the weapon and the weight of the projectiles. She hadn't shoot a sniper riffle in a while and with her heart beating at a normal rate, her sense were much more active than what she used to work with. Taking her time was the key and, at the end of the day, she landed all of her shots.  
It was only when she was able to hit a rock flying through the air that she truly felt good. She smiled at the riffle, then turned to Zenyatta, he seemed to disapprove. « Do not let your mind fall too deep into your renewed talent. »  
She only then noticed how weird her smile actually was, the one she used to do when she killed others with her other sniper, the Widow's Kiss they called it. It was a predator's smile. She retracted it and apologized to her master. « You haven't caused any harm yet, you do not need to apologize. »  
They went to sleep like usual, but her dreams were not the same. She dreamt of King's Row. The night of her greatest crime. Her old sniper was in her hands and she could feel the cold air on her skin. The moon was shining brightly as many people were attending Mondatta's speech. She knew perfectly what her job was and the idea of it made her heart beat much faster. Something wasn't the same. She didn't feel any guilt, any fear. She wanted to kill.  
As she prepared her shot, she thought of what Gabriel would think of her. It was far from her first mission, but it was going to be one of her most important. She couldn't stop thinking about him, his hands on her body. Her heart beat faster.  
When the bullet pierced Mondatta's head for the second time, she took a deep breath and smiled.  
Something jumped on her, it was Tracer. She remembered what it felt like to fight her. They rolled together until they hit the ledge of the building. She turned her head to look at her in the eyes like before.  
She had no face, only one large blue eye staring into her soul. « Again. »  
Amélie gasped and tried to push it away, but the Iris held her tightly against the ground. « _ **An agent of peace dead because of you. Life ended because of you and all you could think of was the hands of your tormentor**_. »  
This time, she felt angry. She fought with all her might and got out of its embrace. Tracer's body broke down as metal and wings ripped out of her skin, leaving the desolated form of the angel. « This is a dream, its not real.  
\- _**It is just as real as I am.**_  
\- I'll kill you.  
\- _**Don't you ever learn?**_ »  
She aimed the Widow's Kiss at the angel and try to shoot it. The bullet went through its skin and blood spewed out of if, but it did not budge. « _**I cannot die unless you do.**_  
\- You're no longer me. I've come to term with it all. You can't hurt me anymore.  
\- _**That is a lie.**_  
\- No it isn't.  
- _ **I wouldn't be here if it were the case.**_ »  
Amélie closed her eyes. If she could just wake up, it would end…  
No… it was not the time to flee again. She remembered Zenyatta's teaching. She was not with him to run away from her past.  
She opened back her eyes and look up to see the Iris' blue eye. « If you are not here to fight me, then what do you want?  
\- _**To tell you the truth.**_  
\- I already know the truth.  
\- _**And what is it?**_  
\- I did those things. I killed many, injured others. People have suffered, are suffering and will suffer because of my action. I've acknowledge it. It is useless to run away from that idea, I should instead embrace it.  
\- _**That is only a fraction of what you must understand.**_  
\- What else?  
\- _**You are a hypocrite. You preach justice and hate those who have harmed you, but you cannot stop thinking about them at night.**_  
\- I cannot control my dreams.  
\- _**Your dreams are just as much a part of you than the rest of your being.**_  
\- So what? I dreamt of Gabriel for years. I cannot help it.  
\- _**Remember what he did to you.**_  
\- I know what he did, more than you.  
\- _**And yet you dream of his hands, his touch, his face.**_  
\- I hate myself for that.  
\- _**Do not.**_  
\- He does not deserve my thoughts.  
\- _**He does.**_  
\- How so?  
- _ **He's been with you for longer than Gérard.**_  
\- Do not bring him into this.  
\- _**You love him.**_  
\- _Shut up!_ »  
She didn't realize how angry she was until that last answer of hers, which she screamed into the night. She was breathing heavily. « _**Accept it as a part of you.**_  
\- I won't. I do not love him. He raped me, he used me… he humiliated me.  
\- _**He loved you. He fell in love with you just like you did.**_ »  
She screamed, aimed her sniper and shot the eye. The angel fell off the building, leaving her alone on top of the building. « I do not love him… I do not…  
The dark mist surrounded her and she fell onto the ground crying. Cold metal on her cold skin, inhaling poison and exhaling the dark mist.  
She woke up sweating and panting. She sat into her bed to calm herself down, only to notice a strange noise. She looked to her left and saw a soft yellow light coming out of Zenyatta's body. He was slowly rising from the ground, his metal spheres spinning around it. She saw the lights from its head flicker to blue. « No… Not you… »  
Zenyatta woke up and looked at her. « Amélie, I feel a dark presence within us.  
\- I saw the Iris. I dreamt of it.  
\- What happened, Amélie? »  
His voice was slow and soft, which made Amélie shiver. « I shot it… I think I killed it.  
\- Like you did with Mondatta? »  
His voice seemed more insistant and Amélie tried to back away into the bed. « Yes… like I did with Mondatta.  
\- And why did you shoot it?  
\- It was trying to… to get into my mind and to make me angry. »  
She say his head flicker to blue again and she gasped. « Master… I think the Iris is talking to you.  
\- It is.  
\- What is it telling you?  
\- Terrible thing, Amélie.  
\- Please… whatever it is telling you, do not act out of anger.  
\- You shot it out of anger, did you? »  
She felt her back against the wall and started crying. « I didn't want to… It happened just like that.  
\- Those things it is telling me, it is about you, Amélie.  
\- Please… Master… I'm sorry. »  
Zenyatta seemed to be in a transe, as if he was half asleep. Amélie took all the courage she had left and stepped out of the bed to take his hands. « Master… do not do what the Iris wants you to do. You taught me this. »  
She saw his lights shine with a bright yellow as he slowly fell back onto the ground. Amélie sighted and she felt his other hand onto hers. « Do not worry, my student. The master is not easily defeated by what he preached.  
\- I was afraid for you for a moment.  
\- Were you afraid for me or for you?  
\- Well… a bit of both. »  
She felt one of his orbs onto her shoulder, making her relax and slowing down her heart rate. « Go back to sleep, we will discuss this tomorrow as usual. »  
She looked at him and sighted. « Master… I do not think I can wait any longer. There is something I need to do.  
\- What is it?  
\- I need to find Gabriel.  
\- Why? Tell me.  
\- I just… I have to.  
\- Does it have to do with what the Iris told you?  
\- Yes.  
\- Then we should discuss it together.  
\- As much as I admire your teaching and hope we will be able to meditate together again, I have to talk to him about it.  
\- I understand.  
\- You do?  
\- We have been together for many days already, Amélie, and I can see that you have greatly matured. Some individual find their ways by themselves and I can see you are one of them. Do what you must. I will not stop you. »  
Strangely, his answer made her worried even more. She thought he would give her a good reason to stay and not follow this strange feeling of hers, but it seemed like it was not a simple crazy idea she dreamt of.  
She took all of the things she could and left with one of the boat, leaving Zenyatta on his own path. As the sun started rising, she was already on her way out, holding tightly the bag that contained her new sniper riffle.


	13. New Story Coming Soon

Hi everyone!

There is currently a the new story that will follow this narrative, look for "Overwatch : Wasting Away" Have a good read!


End file.
